Testimonials

Ataman Tours place picture
5.0
Based on 102 reviews
powered by Google
Douglas Osborne profile pictureDouglas Osborne
16:56 07 Jul 24
It goes without saying that the tour guide must be pleasant, enthusiastic, responsive, informative, and an effective communicator. Our guide-- Emek-- was all of these things. But what one really wants from a tour like this is a guide who can answer all of one's questions satisfactorily. That is not so common, in my experience. Emek did so. And then some. Highly recommended.
Sven Kraft profile pictureSven Kraft
05:22 07 Jul 24
We took this wonderful tour with Emek, who is a city planner himself. He explained the city to us very well and has a lot of knowledge about architecture and the history of Helsinki. All in all, it was a really great city tour that I recommend to everyone. Thank you very much Emek., I can highly recommend the tour
telma guerreiro profile picturetelma guerreiro
15:02 29 Jun 24
Great tour. Very knowledgeable and nice tour guide. Good length, and good insights into Finnish architecture and culture. Would love to do more. With special themes perhaps. Highly recommend.
Milissa Rowcliffe profile pictureMilissa Rowcliffe
18:14 21 Jun 24
We thoroughly enjoyed our “Helsinki Tram Tour” with Ataman Tours. Our guide Emek gave us a unique perspective on the city through the use of Helsinki’s trams. His informative take on the city’s transportation, architecture, history and culture provided us with a better understanding and appreciation of Helsinki and of Finland. We were able to navigate the city more easily after the tour and would definitely recommend his services.
Lucy Martin profile pictureLucy Martin
15:26 20 Jun 24
You will fall a little bit in love with Helsinki when you take a tour with Emek. An intimate look into this fascinating city and people, we discussed social, economic, political, cultural and language elements of history and modern life on a private tram tour. Emek is a fun, affable and knowledgable man, you’ll have a great few hours and really start to understand the city. Kiitos upeasta ajasta Emek!
bari miller profile picturebari miller
04:16 08 Jun 24
Emek was highly knowledgeable, Filled with fascinating architectural information about Helsinki and all the architects he discussed. Excellent choices of buildings to show us on the tour. Highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting the city. Excellent tour, and my group of eight was blown away with his knowledge and love for Helsinki. Our group asked so many questions and he knew the answers to all of them.
Hilary P profile pictureHilary P
12:18 17 Dec 23
Emeka was an excellent guide, he tailored the tour to our interests and knew a lot about the Finnish language, the buildings, and the social history. We learned a lot, even the guest who grew up in the city learned new things! Thankyou very much
Sara Chung profile pictureSara Chung
03:12 18 Jun 23
We had a wonderful time with Emek during this walking tour. He planed the trip in a super considerate way and walked us through the whole history of Finland and Helsinki. He also customized the tour based on our interests, answered every question we had and provided some very fun facts about Finnish language and their life style. I highly recommend the trip to everyone who’s visiting Helsinki. No matter how many times you have been here, you will still find some new interests in this experience.
Sam Seaver profile pictureSam Seaver
18:01 08 Jun 23
Emek was a fantastic, knowledgeable guide. He took us to spots we would have never known about and answered all of our questions on Finland with ease. The tour was engaging, didactic, and uplifting. The city planning/ architectural perspective provided a fascinating lens. The endpoint (no spoilers) was our favorite part. Emek's thoughtfulness made the tour Unique.
K.C. Murphy profile pictureK.C. Murphy
23:56 07 Mar 23
Emek is so personable and knowledgeable about Helsinki and its history, and excited about its future - it’s hard not to get excited about it right along with him! It was a white-out snow day on our tour and he checked in with us throughout on our comfort and readiness, and adjusted the tour deftly to accommodate delayed trams, obscured views, and tough walks through the quickly piling snow. You will not regret learning about Helsinki and Finland on this fantastic tour with Emek!
Dawn Jordan profile pictureDawn Jordan
21:50 06 Mar 23
Emek was an outstanding tour guide and it was a very enjoyable experience. I genuinely wanted to take him on all the rest of our adventures so we could continue learning through the rest of our trip. The tour was organized, insightful and inspiring. I highly recommend this be a part of your Helsinki experience!
Kelly Osborne profile pictureKelly Osborne
10:06 29 Sep 22
-Paws down, the best way to have started our vacation.. Time spent with Emek!

My mother, sister and I booked a tour with Emek on Friday (9/23/2022) for the 10am tour and ended up being lucky enough to have Emek to ourselves. It was our first full day in Helsinki and we wanted to get to know the area before exploring more on our own and it was well worth it; Emek has vast knowledge of just about anything and everything, in regards to Helsinki; it’s history, who’s who, it’s buildings and structures, the Finn way of life and knowledge of Finland as whole. (Amongst other things; pretty sure he’s a genius though because he’s absolutely brilliant and will not hesitate to roast you, with a few quips. And I approve!)

Be sure to make him uncomfortable by tipping him at the end; as that is NOT the Finn thing to do. He’ll most likely insist on declining.. but I prevailed. Success! (And worth it.)

Kippis to Emek and for making the first day of our girls trip one to remember!
  • star rating  I had no expectations or basic knowledge of Helsinki. I just wanted to discover the must-to-see. And I could do it with Emek! I was actually glad to have an... read more

    Brujita1325
    August 15, 2020

    star rating  We had a wonderful tour with Emek. He was very friendly and offered insights to the local life that we wouldn’t have been able to find out ourselves. We had... read more

    ninhneo762
    February 27, 2020

    star rating  I'm really glad I joined Emek's tour of Helsinki - it was the perfect morning and it gave me a good insight into the history of the city using some... read more

    mikkiol
    March 28, 2020
  • star rating  I was fortunate enough to travel to Helsinki, Finland and spend two days in the sprawling city. There is so much to see and do but by far the... read more

    kalisilat
    March 13, 2020

    star rating  Our group had a wonderful experience today with Emek. His appreciation and enthusiasm for the city brought a unique perspective to the city and his in depth knowledge helped us... read more

    ChrisM4645
    February 29, 2020

    star rating  We had a really nice morning with Emek! He was very accommodating with what we wanted to see and took us to the most interesting and beautiful buildings in Helsinki.... read more

    kittyhead
    February 28, 2020
  • star rating  My boyfriend and I signed up for this tour online but had no idea how absolutely wonderful it would be. Emek was fantastic! His knowledge of Finnish history,... read more

    heymin7
    March 13, 2020

    star rating  If you want to see all the important sights and enjoy a very personalized tour, then you have to book with Emek! We were a small group of 6 and... read more

    MelinaW14
    February 28, 2020

    star rating  Emek is knowledgeable and we learned so much in a relatively short amount of time. His education and background make him the perfect guide to host this tour. He... read more

    Travelswithwifeypoo
    March 11, 2020
  • star rating  Emek is very knowledgeable about Finlnd and Helsinki history and can tell you a lotFinnish culture and traditions. Really enjoy the experience, as a foreigner, it's a good way to... read more

    383zo
    February 6, 2020

    star rating  My wife and I signed up for this tour online to get closer to Helsinki on our short in between Corona trip. Emek is the perfect tour guide: his knowledge... read more

    SlowFooder
    July 29, 2020

    star rating  Emek was wonderful and so well-informed. We went on a 2-week trip across Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway. We only spent 1 day in Finland and spent it with Emek... read more

    maryeugenia0
    April 20, 2020
  •   Emek is extremely knowledgable and has crafted an experience that takes you in an entertaining and engaging fashion through time and space to give a great feel of Helsinki city... read more

    thumb Spehro
    October 17, 2022

      This was a fantastic tour! Emek is a great communicator and has a wide and deep knowledge of Helsinki and Finland, and of the broader context in Europe and the... read more

    thumb Edward
    April 24, 2025

      Great experience exploring the city with Emek. As a city planner he has got a lot of first hand knowledge, and more importantly he is a great guy to chat... read more

    thumb Norman
    December 31, 2022
  •   This was a super tour. Although it was snowing, he really was attentive and took good care of the guests. Gives you a complete background to the city and country... read more

    thumb Jesús Narciso
    April 5, 2022

      Emek is a wonderful host, a professional tour-guide and fantastic and knowledgeable source for tourists coming to Finland. I learned more about Helsinki from Emek in a few hour than... read more

    thumb 李 Matt
    June 22, 2022

      Emek is a fantastic guide. He has deep expertise about the city and local life, a genuine and understated storyteller ready to answer any question that pops up and sharing... read more

    thumb Marita
    August 8, 2022
  •   A brilliantly tailored tour exploring some of the more (and less) known spots of Helsinki! Emek was an extremely knowledgeable guide and the relatively small tour group meant that we... read more

    thumb George
    April 11, 2025

      I had a great time on the tour with Emek and I can only recommend it for anybody who wants to get a deeper understanding of Helsinki and the Finnish... read more

    thumb Marija
    February 24, 2023

      We so enjoyed our tour of Helsinki with Emek. He shared fascinating information about Finnish history and society and provided insights that would be difficult to find in a guidebook.... read more

    thumb Jennifer And Scott
    November 22, 2021
BOOK NOW BOOK NOW